


A Clean Start

by raendown



Series: NaNoWriMo 2020 Drabbles [48]
Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 06:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21351898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raendown/pseuds/raendown
Summary: Their first kiss at a time when Naruto least expected it.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: NaNoWriMo 2020 Drabbles [48]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533161
Comments: 14
Kudos: 274





	A Clean Start

Shikamaru was quite obviously just coming out of the baths when Naruto stepped in to the changing rooms intending to go for a soak himself. He stopped in his tracks to see dark hair dripping and loose, miles of pale skin bare and damp, his eyes tracing the length of that glorious body only to stop with no small amount of chagrin at the towel blocking his way at the waist. It was a small miracle that he stopped himself from snarling out loud and making a fool of himself. The man had every right to protect his modesty in the public changing rooms. Being naked in the bath was fine but it felt different in here.

Not in the least because they were all alone and that made it slightly more awkward.

“Alright?” his friend greeted and Naruto gave a jerky nod.

“Yup. Good. Great. Hi.” Lifting one arm, he gave a sloppy wave and then turned on his heel to open the closest unoccupied locker, burying his head inside in the hopes that he wasn’t as red as the burning in his cheeks would indicate.

He listened to the quiet susurration of cotton behind him and tried to pretend he wasn’t imagining what it would look like to see that towel drop. Naruto couldn’t say all of his thoughts had always been innocent and he certainly wasn’t the smartest person around but did try to be respectful of others. Turning around to watch the other man dress so blatantly would certainly be disrespectful, not to mention creepy.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Shikamaru’s voice said from unexpectedly close. “I wanted to ask you about what you said yesterday.”

“Aw crap…”

“Did you really mean what you said? That I was more important to you than–”

“No, don’t say it!”

“–ramen?”

Naruto slapped a hand over his face. He had indeed said that. Then he’d turned as red as he was now and backpedaled himself straight in to another corner with all sorts of other embarrassing drivel. None of it had helped. He’d kind of hoped that fleeing the way he had would end the matter but apparently not if Shikamaru felt the need to bring it up now, of all times.

“I might…have said something like that…” he admitted slowly. When he finally turned he nearly sighed with disappointment to see that his friend had indeed gotten dressed. That was, until he noted that Shikamaru was dressed in a very lovely light green yukata rather than his usual garb. It looked gorgeous on him.

“Did you by any chance mean that the way I thought you meant that?”

“How did you think I meant it?” Naruto asked nervously.

Shikamaru leaned in a bit closer, his expression inscrutable, and for a second Naruto thought that maybe he’d done something wrong somehow. He almost expected to get yelled at or maybe have to stand here and listen to another lecture on presenting himself better as the next Hokage.

The last thing he expected was for the other man to lean across those last few inches of space between them and plant a kiss right on his lips. It didn’t linger, much to his regret, but in the space of a single instant it still managed to rock his entire world. Naruto was left gaping and wondering when his hands had come up to grip the sleeves of his friend’s yukata.

“I was hoping you meant it like that.” Shikamaru murmured.

“Oh _wow_. Damn straight I meant it like that! If I’d known you felt the same I would have said it faster, ‘ttebayo!”

He puffed out his chest with pride and triumph when Shikamaru chuckled, happy to let himself be reeled in for a proper embrace.

They traded kisses with foolish grins for several minutes until finally they realized just how public the changing room was and Naruto gallantly denied himself the chance for a nice soak in favor of walking Shikamaru home. They had a lot to talk about, after all, such as where their first date should be and why it _shouldn’t_ be ramen.

Work tomorrow promised to be very interesting. For once it would not be Shikamaru fumbling to keep his attention on his work but instead the very source of his distraction. Naruto wished good luck to anyone who wanted him to pay attention to anything else tomorrow except the new boyfriend he’d just accidentally acquired.


End file.
